Awoken
"An awoken is a mortal who has recognized their connection with Ubiety, and can tap the channel with confidence." A term adopted by the First Seers, the Awoken are Conscious mortals who have begun to tap the channel between themselves and Ubiety. It is a general term used to categorize all Conscious who have identified and harnessed their connection with Ubiety, regardless of alignment. However, there are three different types of Awoken: Illuminated Awoken, Shrouded Awoken, and - more recently - Twilit Awoken. One should understand that just because someone is Awoken does not mean they belong to the Val’jeta, Val'evik, or Val'ahel. Those are merely collections of Awoken seeking a common goal. There are Awoken who wander the land without binding themselves to different groups. They are called the Sol’matu in the Old Tongue, or Independent in Universal Dialect. Illuminated Awoken Illuminated Awoken are the Awoken who have chosen to follow good morals throughout their life. Their auras are radiant and pale white, giving them their illuminated appearance when sensed by others. The largest collective of Illuminated Awoken are the Jeta, who base themselves out of the Enclave in Hei’lundr or the First Church Cathedral in Antradeux, capital city of the Aithisal Kingdom. The Illuminated Awoken worship Breathing Ubiety in its wholeness and use True Ubiety’s phenomenons in order to protect and heal, only using it harmfully in cases of defense of either the self or the unarmed. Many follow the Pillars of Righteousness but are not held to the same strictness as members of the Jeta are, thereby giving them some autonomy in the what they do outside of the Church. There are Illuminated Awoken who dedicate themselves to the Church and act as agents for Luminate monarchs without being a part of the Jeta or Ahel as well. The Jeta, however, see the Independent Illuminated as without guidance, lost, and even unholy sometimes, though it depends on the disposition of the Independent Illuminated. Many Independent Illuminated who do not see eye to eye with the teachings and restrictions of the Jeta often align themselves more readily with the beliefs of the Ahel. Despite that, many still keep to themselves, keeping their beliefs personal. * Shrouded Awoken Shrouded Awoken are the Awoken who have chosen to follow the flows of Corrupt Ubiety and practice less than savory morals throughout their lives. Their auras are dark and filled with an all consuming black. It is named for the way an illuminated aura seems to become shrouded in darkness as an Awoken grows further and further apart from the Luminate way. The largest group of Shrouded Awoken are the Val’evik, who are based out of the ancient mountain city of ldan’e. It is believed by them that the greatest Evik in existence, Yu’dow Ilan, was born in the city of Sildan’e. Whether or not he was born there remains to be confirmed, but he is buried there, and that is enough for the Evik to make the city their main gathering place. Many call Sildan’e the “Black City” because it is where the Evik primarily reside. Like the Illuminated Awoken, the Shrouded Awoken worship Breathing Ubiety in its wholeness and use True Ubiety’s phenomenons as a means of executing their wills. Instead of aiming to protect and to heal, they seek to terrorize and dominate, wanting to place the world under their rule. Some ambitions go deeper than this, even seeking to bend Whole Ubiety to their will. Many Shrouded follow the Creed of Yu’dow, for most aspire to not only be as powerful as Yu’dow, but also to be more powerful than the late-Shrouded Emperor. Because of the nature of the Evik, there are many sub-factions that vye for power within the organization. What this means is that there are few Independent Shrouded that wander the land without bindings to the Black City or the Evik. However, also due to the nature of the Shrouded, sub-factions are hardly ever larger than a handful of members. Shrouded are distrustful of everyone, regardless of where one’s alignment falls. They keep few allies, and those allies are temporary at best. Twilit Awoken Independent Awoken are the Awoken who float in an area of gray in the eyes of the Church. It is widely believed by the Church that Independent Awoken are guideless and lost. It is also believed by the Church that the Independents are not seeking the betterment of the world, that they are selfish for not choosing an alignment at the very least. Independents are neutral in the war between the Luminate and the Shroud, and most are happy to be. There are some, however, that struggle to choose an alignment, unable to settle with the rigidity of the Luminate but also unable to face the harshness that is the Shroud. Those seeking to align themselves usually aligned with the Luminate, because while the rules were extreme and the tenets binding, there was safety in numbers and safety in Illumination. Like the Shrouded and the Illuminated, many Independents worship Breathing Ubiety wholly, but there are also many who worship Whole Ubiety, the belief that no alignment is true, both are falsities created by mortal nature. The most well known Independent Awoken is Michelle Vosmaeri, an elderly Awoken and former member of the Church. She was one of the first to voice her disagreement with the teachings of the Church, coming out of a quiet life on the countryside to do as much. She led the movement of the Twilit Sect when they were still a part of the Luminate Sect, leading to the Great Schism, which divided the Luminate and gave birth to the Twilit. What this meant for the Independents was there was now a place for them in the world now, for those who did not agree with the Luminate but did not want to fall to the predation of the Shroud. The Twilit welcomed them with open arms and advertised themselves as an alternative to the massively restrictive ruleset of the Luminate Sect and Church. Many Independents flock to the banner of the Twilit and follow the Doctrine of the Heart. In recent years, the teachings of the Twilit have taken hold in the hearts of the populace, leading to them gaining more attention and power worldwide. Such attention has granted them re-entry into Antradeux, but they still lack a permanent home of their own, though they search for one.